NASA releases crisp new images of Neptune, moons

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (KPTV) - On Wednesday, NASA released images from a planet at the edge of our solar system taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.

Jim Todd, OMSI Director of Space Science Education, said previous images of Neptune appear blue due to methane in its atmosphere, but the near-infrared wavelengths captured by the Webb Telescope show the planet as greyish white, with icy clouds streaking the surface.

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“The rings are more reflective in the infrared,” Todd said. “You can also see the storms from reflective icy clouds in Neptune’s atmosphere.”

According to the Webb website, the telescope’s camera can capture images of objects in the near-infrared range from 0.6 to 5 microns.

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“Most striking in Webb’s new image is the crisp view of the planet’s rings – some of which have not been detected since NASA’s Voyager 2 became the first spacecraft to observe Neptune during its flyby in 1989,” the Webb website said. “In addition to several bright, narrow rings, the Webb image clearly shows Neptune’s fainter dust bands.”

To learn more and find more captured images, people can visit the James Webb Space Telescope website here.

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